I was amazed at how sharp this lens is wide open, even with a 1.4TC. It does loose a little, but noticeable, sharpness with the 1.7TC.

For a monster like this, the bokeh is very nice.

Even the old non Silent Wave Motor focuses very quickly, albeit not very quietly, on a D7100 and D800E. I had no trouble with BIF, which was a concern I had.

Obviously there is no VR, but it hasn't been a problem, yet anyway.

You will definitely need a gimbal head and a good tripod. I did manage to get some BIF pics handheld (OK my elbow was sitting on the car door arm rest), but a couple minutes of that and it ceased to be 'fun'.
It does work very well on a monopod with a tilt head.

Didn't do my homework prior to purchase and found out the hard way that it uses a 39mm drop in filter. It came with a clear, but the externally rotatable CPL has been impossible to find so far. Of course I can still put a 39mm CPL in the regular drop in holder and set it visually before inserting it, but it may take a couple do-overs to get it exactly right.

Picked up a pristine copy from the Used Department, so I got the 2 year warranty. A good investment I think, since the focus motor is pretty old, and out of production.

For the cash difference verses the AF-S and/or VR, I am very happy so far.

Jan 30, 2015

AndybrightukOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Feb 23, 2002Location: United KingdomPosts: 77

Review Date: Oct 10, 2005

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Clarity, resolving power and colour rendition.

Cons:

weight

A big lump of glass and metal!! For small songbird photography this lens is a must. Some may say a Sigma 800mm is the answer but that's f5.6 and the subject to background seperation just isn't as convincing. Besides, stick a 1.4x teleconverter on and you outreach an 800mm Sigma yet still have rapid AF, stick a 1.7x on and you still have AF (though your technique and support will have to be perfect to get sharp results)

Optical clarity, colour rendition stand out in the results. Backgrounds are thrown out to perfection, seperating the subject from any distractions.
AF-S is rapid and quiet.

The 4 focus lock buttons on the lens body don't seem quite as important with modern cameras these days.

The huge HK23 hood has the benefit of being two sections, allowing just one section to be used when conditions allow... flare being less of an issue in cloudy northern europe.

Personally, I would have preferred a more hand-friendly tripod foot with finger grooves (although more comfortable lower profile 'feet' are available)

Minimum focus distance isn't quite up to modern standards but is alleviated with a teleconverter or extension tubes for smaller subjects.

Look for this on the used market for a real bargain, I picked up an optically mint ex paparazzi model (with an exciting history) for a steal.

For goodness sake, realise just how big and heavy any 600mm f4 is before purchasing, for most a 500mm f4 will be a more sensible option. Lens support will need to be the best and this means legsets like the Gitzo 1548 and a gimbal type head.